I first met Jeff some 15 years ago while on an overnight sport-fishing trip out of San Diego. Living and working in Orange County at the time, I had originally planned to drive down that evening with one of my co-workers, but he cancelled out on me at the last minute, so, rather than waste the tickets, I ended up going alone.
As I boarded the boat, I saw that there were only about a dozen other anglers -- most of whom were older men who appeared to have opted for a cold night of fishing and drinking to staying at home watching last season's re-runs, or worse, getting stuck listening to the wife drone on about the latest crisis involving the neighbor's cat.
Jeff was somewhat of a stand-out from the beginning. He was tall, looked to be in good physical shape and was very well spoken, which I gathered based on the group's informal round of introductions. After meeting our shipmates and hearing the captain's safety instructions, we each retreated to what we felt would be our lucky deck spots and began to set up our rigs. Jeff took up a station about eight feet from mine.
Unfortunately, we had picked a bad night to go out. Not only was it damp, but the wind seemed to drive the cold right through you. To make matters worse, the fish seemed to be anywhere else in the Pacific except where we were anchored. No one was getting any action. In our boredom, Jeff and I sparked up a bit of a conversation -- mostly just small talk about work and the weather. He told me that he was a mortgage broker and I explained that I worked as a rep for an advertising agency.
As the evening wore on, and with the beer evaporating from the cooler, we somehow got on the subject of women. Being about 15 years older than me, Jeff told me he was twice divorced and single. I confided that I was between girlfriends at the time too.
"It sucks being without someone to suck your dick every night, doesn't it?" he said laughing. "Amen, I'll drink to that," I replied. "Especially on a cold night like this one. And this beer isn't keeping me warm either. I've got a bottle of JD in my bag if you're interested," I said.
"That would be awesome," he said. "I usually bring a bottle on these trips too, but I was running late and forgot. I owe you one!"
We continued joking and sharing small talk until the boat captain came around to poll everyone to see if we wanted to head in early. It was practically unanimous, so we reeled in our rigs while the crew pulled anchor. What a fucking waste of time and money, I thought, as the boat chugged back to the dock.
Just as we headed in past the breakwater, Jeff held out his hand. "Here's my card," he said. "The next time you're down this way, give me a call. Maybe we can get together for a beer or grab a bite to eat or something -- on me. Oh yeah, and don't forget to call me if you're ever in the market for a mortgage."
I took his card and told him thanks, and gave him one of mine in return. "Same here, next time you're up in the OC, give me a call."
I never really expected to ever hear from him again. Happily, though, I was wrong. What I didn't know was that night had marked the beginning of a special friendship -- and turning point -- in what otherwise might have been just another ordinary life.
Less than two weeks later, I was sitting in my office getting my chops busted by my boss about my expense report when our bubble-headed receptionist popped in. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important, but Mike, you have a call on line three."
"Ok..." I said, waiting. "...And do we know who it is?" I asked in somewhat of a snarky tone. "I think his name was Jeff something... Oh yeah, and I think he said he was with a mortgage company? I'm sorry, I didn't want to interrupt, but I thought it might be important," she finished apologetically.
"Ohhhh, that Jeff," I said sarcastically. "Yes. It is important. Do me a favor and tell him I'll be right with him."
Jeff's timing couldn't have been better. I told my boss it was a personal matter and asked him to give me a minute. Then I quickly closed the door behind him.
I answered the phone. "Hi Jeff, Mike speaking."
"Hi Mike, thanks for taking my call. I wasn't sure if you'd remember me..."
"Absolutely," I said. "What can I do for you, Jeff?"
"Listen, we're having our annual open house party at our office tomorrow evening and we're reaching out to invite prospective customers. I know this is super short notice so, if you can't make it, I totally understand. I was just going through my wallet and found your card and thought you might be interested in coming down. We're starting the party right at close-of-business, but these things usually last well into the evening. If nothing else, I thought it would be a good networking opportunity for you -- and there will be plenty of eye candy," he laughed.
"That actually sounds great," I said. "I had planned on taking tomorrow off anyway, so that works out perfect. Hey, thanks for the invite!"
"My pleasure," Jeff said. "It's nothing fancy -- business casual -- but we usually have a great time."
"Ok, sounds fun! I'll see you tomorrow," I said and hung up. Cool, I thought. Downtown San Diego on a warm Friday evening with plenty of free, high-dollar wine and beautiful ladies! Now all I had to do was break the news to my already-pissed-off boss that I wouldn't be in the next day.
I made the most of the next morning. With a fresh haircut and new shirt and coat, I knew I'd have to leave early to beat the weekend traffic down the coast. I was glad I did. As it was, I didn't make it to Jeff's office until a little before 6.
I was actually kind of surprised that, with it being a Friday evening, so many people showed up. But the company was having a great turnout. It was a virtual "Who's Who" of the San Diego real estate scene, or as I call it, the "Pretty People of Professional Real Estate."
I was chatting up a very petite and attractive brunette residential agent when Jeff made his way over. "Mike! Hey, it's great that you could make it. I see you're already getting to know some of our guests..."
The way he spoke, you would have thought we had been friends forever.
"Yeah, this is a great party," I said. "Thanks for inviting me. By the way Jeff, this is my new friend Leona."
"Oh, yes. Hi Leona, did you ever get that couple closed on their Gaslamp District condo?" he asked. (Obviously, he and Leona knew and had worked together before.)
"Nope, never did. I was so bummed. Would you believe that two weeks into their escrow, they went out and bought a $40,000 car? Blew the escrow right out of the water!"
"Unbelievable! Well.. It's not the first time that kind of thing has happened and probably won't be the last. Listen, I hate to leave you two alone, but I've got to make some more rounds." Jeff said. "You look great, by the way," he said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You look great too, Mike," he added with a chuckle. "I'll catch up with you guys a little later."
"So, Mike, how long have you known Jeff?" Leona asked, turning her attention back to me.
"Actually, we just me a week ago. On a fishing trip of all places."
"Really? Wow," she said. "He really seems to like you."
"Well, what's not to like?" I said in a lame attempt to flirt.
"Then good for you," she said, patting my hand. "I hear he's quite the catch -- if you know what I mean?"
